THE REDEEMER MAGAZINE - The Magazine for Thinking Christians.

Foreword:Do we really have the Gospel twisted? If the Gospel was about the life/coming of Jesus Christ and the announcing of the coming/arrival of the New Covenant. Then why are we still calling ourselves preaching the Gospel? I'm just saying. Through my Bible studies it is very apparent to me that Jesus has returned like He said He would (to the first century generation). It is also very apparent to me that the New Covenant has arrived (according to the book of Hebrews and Revelation) while occupping the earth for thousands of years. I do get and understand the concept of the New Covenant.

When reading the scriptures and keeping them in context I find that Jesus told His first century Disciples(not us) to go and preach the gospel to every creature(Mark 16:15). He told them(not us) to go and preach the Gospel to every creature and when they had preached the gospel to every creature then the end would come(Matt. 24:14). A few years later Paul tells the church that the Gospel has been preached to every creature under heaven(1st Col:1:23). Bear with me. The book of Mark says the Gospel must first be published among all nations(Mark 13:10). A few years later the writer of Romans says the Gospel has been made known to all the nations(Romans 16:25-26). It seems to me that the modern church is being redundant concerning the preaching of the Gospel. It seems to me that it is already a done deal. Jesus died that the New Covenant may avail and God has made good on His new and better promises. Here's my question. Why keep announcing the coming of something that is already here? If you notice most sermons today are not the Gospel but rather life coaching sermons. The sermons of the first century before Christ' return were sermons announcing the coming of Christ and the New Covenant. BOTH ARE HERE AND OPERATING AS PROMISED. Christians need to think........How many Christians has ignored "the end" in Matt. 24:14. The end of what? You may ask. The end of the Old Covenant is the end that Matt. 24:14 talks about. Not the end of the world.......... The New Covenant is here to stay.

 

THE REDEEMER®- VOLUME 84 ****EDITION 42 - OMPS® INC. 2014
 All articles in this magazine are written in whole or part by Dr. Otis T. Williams Sr. Th.D.....© 2014  These articles are the literary properties of Otis Media Publications Syndication Inc.©

Digital Version

THE GREAT COMMISSION

Was it fulfilled in a generation that rejected Jesus?(1st Century AD.)

14: And this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations; and then shall the end come. MATT:24:14.

          There is an issue today in Christianity it is called the “Great Commission”. It was given in the above scripture. Those are the words of Jesus Christ Himself as recorded by the Disciple Matthew. Jesus said that “this Gospel shall be preached in all the world and then the end shall come”. It is vital that we understand what the so-called “Great Commission” was or is. This is really a vital issue as to whether it has already been done, or in the Process of being done, or yet to be done in the future.

       One reason most people don’t believe it has been done is because they are hung up on the words “and then shall the end come.” Most Christians have no idea what Jesus means when he says “the end come.” Most Christians have been taught that “the end” means the end of the physical world(earth). This is far from the truth of what Jesus meant in Matt.24:14. Most Christians seeing that the end of the world has not happen therefore the “Great Conmission” has not been fulfilled.

       However; we must learn what is meant by “the end”. First and foremost we must ask ourselves this question. The end of what? Surely it can’t mean the end of the earth because the Bible tells us that the world will never end. If the Bible tells us the world will never end; then Jesus Can’t be contradictory as saying it will end. Let’s take a look at something. In Matt. Chapter 24 as Jesus walked out of the Temple with his Disciples. They begin to show him the stones of the Temple. And Jesus said “ do you not see all these things? The hour is coming when there will not be one stone left upon another”. The Apostles associated the end of the age and Christ coming again with the fall of Jerusalem. The Disciples asked Jesus “ tell us when shall these things be and what will be the sign of your coming and the end of the age” Jesus begin to respond to there questions. Part of his answer was: And this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations; and then shall the end come. The question is what did they ask about? They asked about the end of the age. They didn’t ask about the end of the world or the end of time. Although in the King James Bible it states:....and what shall be the sign of thy coming, and of the end of the world? Matt. 24:3.

        Now; most of us was raised on the King James Version of the Bible. Unfortunately; this is a misinterpretation by the King James interpreter. The Greek word used there is “Aion”(ahee-ohn’); and it simply does not mean “end of the world” as you and I think of world. It is a very distinctive Greek term. It is not just the world. It is “consummation of the age”. Any good Greek Lexicon will verify that the word “Aion” does not normally mean “time considered”; the normal Greek word for the end of time would be “Chronos”(khron’-os); that’s where we get our word “chronology”.

 

Old Age -New Age

       The word “Aion” means :an epic; an age or era. The Disciples were living under the Old Covenant Age and they well understood this as all Jews of Jesus’ days did. Jesus and his Apostle taught that there was only two ages: (1)The Age of Moses and the Law; and (2)The Age of the Messiah and His New Covenant. They understood that the Mosiac Age was suppose to end and they also understood that the Messiah and His New Covenant was not suppose to end. They also understood that the end of the Age was associated with the fall of Jerusalem and the destruction of Jewish people because Daniel(Daniel Chap. 12:7) in predicting the end of the Age was told ... and when he shall have accomplished to scatter the power of the holy people, all these things shall be finished. This gave the Disciples the idea as Jesus predicted the fall of Jerusalem, the destruction and desecration of the Temple; they knew that Jerusalem would fall and be destroyed at the end of the age. They just wanted to know when it would happen and what would be the signs. One of those distinctive sign was :And this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations; and then shall the end come.

      Yes, church the fulfillment of the“Great Commission” is an extremely significant and equally important sign as to the coming of the Lord. This is very simply how the Disciples understood it and saw the answer to their question. They saw their answer and related it to 3 things (1). The fall of Jerusalem. (2). The end of the Age. (3). The coming of the Lord.

 

The bible does not teach an end of the earth but rather it teaches an end of an age. That age was the Old Covenant age. The disciples ask Jesus about a sign depicting the end of the Age. Photo credit VisualizeUs.com. Caption Credit: THE REDEEMER MAGAZINE 2014.

“World” -Translations

       Let me back up for a minute. Most Christian are dealing with the fact that the world is going to be destroyed. But when we look at the Greek, there are actually three words that are all translated “world” in the New Testament and this can be rather confusing.

      To get a good understanding of what the Bible is all about one must have an exhaustive concordance to translate the Greek and the Hebrew. Every Greek and Hebrew translation do not have the same meaning in English. The three words that are translated as “world” are “Aion”(ahee-ohn’)which means age, the Greek word “Oikoumene”(oy-kou-men’-ay) which Jesus uses in Matt. 24:14 to mean the inhabited earth or land of the Roman Empire. Last but not least there is “kosmos”(kos’-mos) which means universe. In the book of Luke is a great example of how the word “Oikoumene” is translated “world”. Luke 2:11: And it came to pass in those days, that there went out a decree from Caesar Augustus, that all the world should be taxed. Notice how the word “world” is used. Now I am pretty sure that Caesar Augustus did not impose a tax on us here in Jackson, Ms. We are not going to pay taxes to him. Furthermore the same word “world” is used in chapter 11 0f Acts 11:28: And there stood up one of them named Agabus, and signified by the Spirit that there should be great dearth throughout all the world: which came to pass in the days of Claudius Caesar. I am sure that he was not saying there was going to be a Famine in Pearl Ms. He is talking about the inhabited world/Roman Empire at that time. When we define words the way that the Bible defines them we will avoid all difficulty in our understanding and interpretation of scripture.

       In the book of Revelation we have another situation that deals with the same issue of the word “world” Jesus uses in Matt. 24:14. Look at Revelation 3:10: Because thou hast kept the word of my patience, I also will keep thee from the hour of temptation, which shall come upon all the world, to try them that dwell upon the earth. Here we are dealing with the same identical Greek word “Oikoumene”(oy-kou-men’-ay) that is found in Matt. 24 :14; Luke 2:1:Acts 11:28 and that we find in a host of other passages just as well. Now Let’s make the case for the Gospel already being preached as Jesus said it would.

A Done Deal

A little while back I was having lunch with a friend who is deeply rooted in the church today(Baptist persuasion) and we were talking about this very topic. This friend of mine is in a preaching ministry and he made this particular comment: “We are teaching preaching the gospel all over the earth right now like never before; the Lord is coming soon”. I begin to share with him and say to him that you are misinterpreting the verse. But he quoted Matthew 24:14 to me. He said that Jesus said “that the gospel would have to be preached into all the world before the end and the gospel has not been preached into all the world and the Lord certainly haven’t come”.

I said “hold on; would it mean anything to you if I showed you without any doubt from the scriptures that the Gospel had been preached already into all the world exactly like Jesus said it would be.”

My friend looked at me and said

“if you could prove that; then it would mean that Jesus had already come.”

I said okay, let's look at your Bible.”

Although we have the majority of the church saying that it haven’t been completed yet (Matt. 24:14), but we have the Apostle Paul giving us all the information that is irrefutable of what Jesus said that it has already been done.

       When I read the Bible I believe what is revealed to me by The Word; no more and no less. More Christians should start believing what is written instead of listening to the pulpit parrots(I'm not trying to be harsh, I used to be a pulpit parrot) every Sunday saying things that they heard someone else say. The scripture that I am about to present to you comes directly from the Bible and this is all the proof I need to assert the fact that Jesus did what He said he would do and He did it the way He said He would do it.

        I am going to list passages in which Jesus commanded the Gospel to be preached to all the world/preached into all the world. Then I will present verse and passages by Paul the same exact precise Greek word that Jesus did when he talked about the Gospel being preached into all the world. Take a look.

                                         COMMISSION GIVEN  

Jesus telling Disciples Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature.....Mark 16:15

 COMMISSION CONFIRMED

Paul preaching the hope of the gospel, which ye have heard, and which was preached to every creature which is under heaven;....Colossians:1:23

Jesus said: Matt.24:14: And this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations; and then shall the end come.

Paul said: Romans 10:18: But I say, Have they not heard? Yes verily, their sound went into all the earth, and their words unto the ends of the world.

In the scriptures above Jesus says to preach the Gospel to all the world. Paul some years later says that the sound(gospel preaching) went into all the world.

 

Jesus said: Mark 13:10: And the gospel must first be published among all nations.

Paul said: Romans 16:26:26: But now is made manifest, and by the scriptures of the prophets, according to the commandment of the everlasting God, made known to all nations for the obedience of faith.

Here Jesus tells that the Gospel be published in all nations. Some years later Paul makes it clear that the Gospel has been made known to all nations.(past tense).

 

Jesus said: Mark 16:15: And he said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature.

Paul said: Colossians 1:5: For the hope which is laid up for you in heaven, whereof ye heard before in the word of the truth of the gospel;

6: Which is come unto you, as it is in all the world; and bringeth forth fruit, as it doth also in you, since the day ye heard of it, and knew the grace of God in truth:

Paul said: Colossians:1:23: If ye continue in the faith grounded and settled, and be not moved away from the hope of the gospel, which ye have heard, and which was preached to every creature which is under heaven; whereof I Paul am made a minister;

Here Jesus commands to go out and preach the Gospel to every creature. Years later Paul says it is a done deal. Paul emphatically states that the Gospel has been preached to every creature under heaven. Paul also in writing to the Colossians telling them that the same Gospel that is bringing forth fruit is the same truth of the Gospel that has been heard in all the world.

         It is so amazing how some people can deny the power of scripture. In the above text Paul uses the same Greek words that Jesus uses to say go and preach to all the nations. Paul who got his Gospel, his teaching, and his doctrine directly from Jesus himself and uses the same Greek phrases that Jesus did. Jesus would say to do this and Paul would say this is what has been done. A lot of people will not believe the scriptures no matter what. Because they have been so indoctrinated with the futurist position or doctrine. Understanding this issue is rather simple if we let scripture to be scripture and avoid all other creed and commentaries. Many will say that “if the Great Commission has been fulfilled then when is Jesus coming?” This may shock some people but Jesus has already come. Did not Jesus say He would return during the 1st century(See the book of Matthew)? Jesus is already here in the Hearts of Believers.

       The Church needs to teach believers to stop looking for a physical return of Christ because the scripture does not support a physical return of Christ. A good study of the scripture will reveal that Jesus has already done what He said He would do and He has done it exactly like He said He would do it. Yes; my friend the Great Commission has been fulfilled exactly like Jesus said to do it and exactly like Paul has said it was done. The Bible has to be the final authority and I will accept the words of Paul over any other preacher, creed or doctrine.

Time Frames

       Let’s look at some time frames. Jesus gave the prophecy(“Great Commission”) around 33 A.D. Paul wrote several years after Jesus gave the prophecy. Paul wrote Colossians somewhere around 61-62 AD. Titus was written somewhere during the same time frame. Romans was written close to 57-58 A.D. We are talking some 27 years after Jesus Gave his command that Paul writes and say that it has been done. Let’s look at another thing. Jesus gave his command in Matt: 24:14. Then Jesus in Matt. 24:34 tells these same Disciples 34: Verily I say unto you, This generation shall not pass, till all these things be fulfilled. That generation has passed away so therefore all the things in Matt. chapter 24 had to be fulfilled as Jesus promised they would before that generation died or passed away.

      If all those things did not occur when Jesus said they would then Jesus is a liar and we know that God cannot lie. This is more compelling evidence that the “Great Commission” has been fulfilled. Once again I say the “Great Commission” has been fulfilled. My Bible gives all the proof I need.Titus 2:11: For the grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared to all men,. Here again Paul states the Gospel has been preached to all the world.

      Again I ask this question. Do the church have the preaching of the Gospel twisted in trying to mandate a commission that has already been filled? Does not the beauty of the New Covenant relieve believers of this chore since God puts His laws in the hearts of the believer.......... I will put my laws into their hearts, and in their minds will I write them; Hebrews 10:16. I'm Just asking....... Christians need to think.

 

THE REDEEMER®- VOLUME 84 ****EDITION 42 - OMPS® INC. 2014
 All articles in this magazine are written in whole or part by Dr. Otis T. Williams Sr. Th.D.....© 2014  These articles are the literary properties of Otis Media Publications Syndication Inc.©

THE GREAT COMMISSION

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